The present invention relates to restoration and repair of fiber optic cables and, more particularly, to the provision of a conductive splint to restore the mechanical and electrical integrity of a metallic sheath surrounding a fiber optic cable.
Fiber optic cable has become a standard transmission medium for many different communication systems. In general, a fiber optic cable consists of a number of separate optical fibers that are stranded together, and may include a central metallic strength member to provide support to the set of optical fibers. Surrounding the fibers is a metallic sheath, used to provide outer mechanical support to the cable, as well as to provide an electrical signal path that is used to send certain operational tones along the length of the cable. Plastic coatings may then be applied over the metallic sheath as a protective encapsulant, particularly well-suited for situations where the cable is to be buried underground.
A buried cable is vulnerable to many environmental hazards, such as lightning strikes and animal damage. A lightning strike may burn a hole through the metallic sheath, yet not immediately cause any harm to the encased optical fibers. Animal damage may be slow, eroding the integrity of the metallic sheath over a relatively long period of time. Regardless of the source of damage, the cable will eventually deteriorate and expose the bare fibers. As such, the fibers are then extremely vulnerable to any type of movement of the earth or the cable.
Repair of these damaged areas are normally done by either replacement of sections of the fiber cable, or if the damage is caught before much corrosion has started, the cable sheath can be cleaned and a new coating of moisture-preventing tape can be placed around the cable to prevent further damage. These techniques are extremely labor intensive, requiring several hours to administer. A need remains in the art, therefore, for a repair kit that will allow a technique to quickly apply a protective coating around the damaged area of a fiber optic cable, where the protective coating will function to stop the corrosion process and protect the fiber cable from future damage.
The need remaining in the prior art is addressed by the present invention, which relates to restoration and repair of fiber optic cables and, more particularly, to the provision of a conductive splint to restore the mechanical and electrical integrity of a metallic sheath surrounding a fiber optic cable.
In accordance with the present invention, a conductive splint comprises a C-shaped stability bar including a pair of end straps molded into a section of heat shrink material, and a continuity and stabilization device that is coupled across the end straps. The continuity and stabilization device comprises a conductive brace with a pair of clamps disposed at either end. The clamps mate with the end straps of the C-shaped bar, where the inside of each clamp includes a set of teeth that will penetrate through the poly coating of the cable and make physical contact with the metallic sheath on either side of the damaged area. The combination of the clamps and the conductive brace thus provide both an electrically conductive path and physical stability to the damaged area. The damaged area may then further be covered with protective vinyl tape, then sealed in the heat shrink material.
In a preferred embodiment, each clamp includes a plurality of screws on the outer surface thereof, such that as the screws are tightened down, the teeth on the inner surface will penetrate into the metallic sheath.